Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Dude, Where's My Car? Blu-ray Movie Review

Dude, my expectations were far surpassed!

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 7, 2008

Dude, where's my car?
Where's your car dude?
Dude, where's my car?
Where's your car dude?

When a movie is entitled Dude, Where's My Car?, can audiences really expect all that much? The answer, of course, is no, but so poor is the modern comedy genre that even a movie featuring two loser stoners that morphs into a show involving aliens and space suits made from bubble wrap looks very good next to The Love Guru and What Happens In Vegas. Dude, Where's My Car? is shallow entertainment, and it wouldn't surprise me if the writer was high whenever he sat down to work on this script, but give it its due -- it's so far out there and bizarre that it gets credit for its originality. What could have been a "Beavis and Butt-Head" knock off (and begins and sometimes plays as such) veers into strange, new territory where no comedy has gone before.

huh huh, bubble wrap, huh huh huh.

Friends Jesse (Ashton Kutcher, The Guardian) and Chester (Sean William Scott, Mr. Woodcock) awaken one morning from a night they cannot remember. An angry call from their girlfriends clues them in on the fact that they had partied hard the night before and are reminded that today is their anniversary, and the girls are expecting gifts. Jesse and Chester can only surmise that they did indeed purchase a gift for their girlfriends, and that they would still be in Jesse's car. There's only one problem, dude. You guessed it, Jesse's car is gone! The duo quickly begin a search for the car that will allow them to piece together the previous night's events which include a suitcase full of cash, stolen pizza, new clothes, miniature golf, a lifetime's supply of pudding, a kaleidoscope, a Rubik's Cube, and more. Even more puzzling is the series of "aliens" Jesse and Chester encounter on their journey. Said aliens are in search of a "mysterious and powerful device" known as the "Continuum Transfunctioner." "Its mystery is only exceeded by its power," Jesse and Chester learn. Indeed, it has power over an ever-growing populace, including nerds who think it will take them into space, aliens who promise a sexual encounter in exchange for the device, and local bullies who want to get their hands on it to receive said encounters. As Jesse and Chester search for their car, the fate of the world hangs in the balance and on their every move.

Dude, Where's My Car? barely makes any sense, but that's the point, I suppose. It's rather good and entertaining for a movie that makes no sense, too. The characters are devoid of any common sense and intelligence, and in that regard, it is clearly a comedy in the mold of Mike Judge's "Beavis and Butt-Head," and like many of the cartoons and the feature-length film featuring that duo, Jesse and Chester stumble along and save the day through pure dumb luck. It's their lack of brain power that makes the movie entertaining in spots, such as when they decide the best way to take dozens of bags of trash outside is to carry them all at once rather than make several trips. There is no logic, rhyme, or reason to their lives, and it comes across as very funny stuff. The duo even delves into a funny routine inspired by the old Abbott and Costello "Who's on first?" routine, this time involving tattoos that say, "dude" and "sweet" (in fact, we're privy to this gag twice during the film). I found myself in stitches several times during the movie, an impressive feat for a 21st century comedy.

Unfortunately, not all is well with Dude, Where's My Car?. Some gags are briefly funny but wear out their welcome rather quickly. The problem is that many of the jokes throughout the movie involve characters repeating lines to one another, just like the Abbot and Costello routine cited above. As a fan of the original routine, that gag worked, for me anyway, but so many others in the film do not. It's obvious the repetition is supposed to be funny to a point and obnoxious by the end, and the characters themselves comment to that effect, but the sheer magnitude of jokes that delve into this routine, from shorter ones to the famous drawn-out Chinese drive-thru scene, become too much of a good thing. In the ultimate stoner moment, the film blatantly rips off Men in Black at the end, but then again, by this point, nothing should come as a surprise as Dude, Where's My Car? has brought about in the audience a sense of complete suspension of disbelief, and bringing in an all-too-familiar plot device straight out of perhaps the biggest alien-centric comedy of all time is just one more way that the film shows us that everything is played with tongue planted in cheek whilst simultaneously offering a wink and a nod.

Dude, Where's My Car? Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Dude, Where's My Car? is presented on Blu-ray with the antiquated MPEG-2 video codec. Nevertheless, the disc looks fine. The 1080p high definition, 1.85:1-framed transfer is far from being a stunner, but it looks rather good overall, and while I have never seen the film before, the quality is such that it is likely far superior to any previous DVD edition. The film is very colorful, as expected from a comedy, but the abundance of color is presented as much more natural than something like The Love Guru that featured strikingly bold and vibrant colors. Flesh tones also appear to be spot-on accurate as well. Detail is also moderately good throughout. Nobody will likely be wowed by the nuances of the transfer, but there is plenty here to look at in nearly every frame, and there is never a time when the disc presents any serious problems as far as detail replication is concerned. There are times when the image goes inexplicably soft. A fine example is in the barn scene in chapter 15. The image fluctuates from shot to shot. It looks fine most of the time, but some scenes see a noticeable drop in quality. Overall, the transfer is fine. Don't expect anything special and you'll enjoy the look of the film.

Dude, Where's My Car? Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Dude, Where's My Car? debuts on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack courtesy of 20th Century Fox. Right off the bat, the audio is somewhat impressive. It's nowhere near as engaging as The Forbidden Kingdom, but for a lame-brain comedy, I was surprised. The movie begins with a (seemingly) drug-induced credit sequence that reveals all the major characters from the film against an outer space backdrop, and it has a solid presence via the rock music and special effects that play over the credits. Loud, focused across the front, and offering some decent surround effects, this opening sequence does a fine job in setting the mood for what's to come, both visually and audibly. There is, however, a harsh edge to it, but it is loud and features activity all around the soundstage. Dialogue is strong and impressive with no faults to be found. Music continues to sound generally fine throughout. A rap video dream sequence in chapter nine sounds fine across the front soundstage but it never makes much of a presence in the back. Ambience comes through mostly across the front, too. The ostrich attack in chapter 16 might be the best sounding moment in the film. While no great shakes, the sequence is plenty loud with some good discrete effects and a few knocks from the subwoofer. Overall, the soundtrack is acceptable, like the movie, and also like the movie, it offers a few surprises along the way that make it worth checking out and better than it deserves to be.

Dude, Where's My Car? Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Dude, where are my supplements? The only supplements include trailers for Dude, Where's My Car?, Alien vs. Predator, Dodgeball, and X-Men: The Last Stand.

Dude, Where's My Car? Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Dude, Where's My Car? is two steps away from being pure rubbish, "MST3K" fodder, but the movie plays well and stays within the confines of silly without becoming stupid (unlike The Love Guru, for example). It never forgets that it is called Dude, Where's My Car?, a title that screams "mindless movie" if ever there was one. Indeed, it is very vacuous, but since it sets out to be empty-headed, and never tries to be anything but empty-headed, it works, and the result is a darn good moronic movie that's fun to watch. For fans of the film, this Blu-ray edition is probably not worth the upgrade. Yes, viewers are treated to a decent 1080p video presentation and a fairly good lossless soundtrack, but with no extra materials and a hefty price tag, only the most ardent (and wealthy) of Blu-ray fans will be picking this one up. Dude, Where's My Car? is a surprisingly decent comedy, however, and those who have never seen it might enjoy it as a rental.